I Want to Open the Heavens!

Lady Xuelong and Jin Feng fell into the trap with ease, effortlessly subdued by Su Yu. At this moment, neither giant dragon was dead yet. Killing them would have repercussions, as the people of Mount Xuelong might notice. Both dragons struggled violently in Su Yu's grasp. Lady Xuelong's voice came through weak and laced with fury. "Who on earth are you?" Mount Yongsheng had no reason to make a move against them! "Heimu of Dead Spirit Hell!" Su Yu wore an indifferent expression. "Didn't you want to deal with me? I came to find you myself. Are you unsatisfied?" Lady Xuelong's mind reeled. Heimu? The grand commander of Mount Liufang? She was stunned beyond measure. How did this fellow dare to show his face now... No, how did he dare to take the initiative to come knocking on their door? Yet outside rumors claimed he possessed only the power of fifteen Daos. When he dealt with her just now, however, she felt as though he commanded the strength of twenty Daos. After falling into Su Yu's scheme, her power had been suppressed... Suppressed... At that thought, she exclaimed in shock, "Then why do you know Mount Yongsheng's Dao of Myriad Laws?" And the Domain of Myriad Laws as well! Even now, she could not understand whether this Heimu belonged to Dead Spirit Hell or Mount Yongsheng. "What a joke! The Lord of Dead Spirits is omnipotent. Did you truly believe the Dao of Myriad Laws was exclusive to Mount Yongsheng?" Su Yu sneered with open contempt. "The Lord of Dead Spirits sweeps across the world. A mere Dao of Myriad Laws was not that difficult; His Lordship deciphered it long ago. Do you think everyone in Mount Yongsheng today is truly one of their own?" Lady Xuelong fell silent, though shock churned within her. What did that mean? Su Yu said coolly, "So Jinduan Gorge can only belong to Dead Spirit Hell. No matter how fiercely you lot thrash about, you cannot change a thing!" Myriad thoughts flashed through Lady Xuelong's mind, and she hurriedly spoke. "I hail from the Dragon Domain. Here, the four great forbidden lands reign supreme. We only came to gather intelligence. We bear no hostility toward the Lord of Dead Spirits, nor does my Dragon Domain... Heimu, killing me would mean antagonizing the Dragon Domain and courting trouble for Dead Spirit Hell!" "The Lord of Dead Spirits is omnipotent and cares nothing for a few more enemies!" Lady Xuelong cursed internally. If the Lord of Dead Spirits were truly omnipotent, he would have swept across the Heavenly Gate long ago... Right now, she only wanted to survive! She rushed to say, "Heimu, killing us brings you no benefit. Our Daos are different from yours; slaying me offers you no great gain. Wouldn't it be better to use me to trade for benefits with the Dragon Domain? I am a sixteen-Dao powerhouse, after all, and Jin Feng has fifteen Daos. Not even the Dragon Domain would abandon us easily!" She added with urgency, "Many here still refuse to submit to you. I... I can help you deal with the others!" Survival was all that mattered! As for the rest, she would make any promise first. Whatever Su Yu said, she would agree to! She just wanted to live! In this place, survival came first for everyone. Su Yu scoffed dismissively, continuing to fly toward Blade Valley. Seeing this, Lady Xuelong realized he had designs on the Blade Lord. Her mind raced with despair, helplessness, and bitter regret. To think she had been deceived by this fellow so easily! Otherwise, near Mount Xuelong, no matter how strong he was, there were many experts stationed in the mountain... Well, even away from Mount Xuelong, so long as she had not stepped into his Domain of Myriad Laws, dealing with her and Jin Feng together would not have been so simple. She was filled with both regret and hatred! Yet the Dao of Myriad Laws and the Domain of Myriad Laws were far too convincing! In her eyes, that was Mount Yongsheng's exclusive hallmark, more trustworthy than any medallion, message transmission, or display of strength. In the end, she had fallen precisely because of it! At this moment, Lady Xuelong was frantic with anxiety. Beside her, Jin Feng, likewise imprisoned by Su Yu, spoke in a muffled voice. "Lord Heimu, what will it take for you to spare us?" Since Heimu did not respond to the conditions they offered, their only hope was that Heimu had demands of his own! Otherwise, they were dead without a doubt. In this damned place, when one captured an enemy, killing them was always the safest path. "We will discuss it after I capture the Blade Lord!" Su Yu laughed. "I hope the Blade Lord is as foolish as you two and walks right into the trap. Otherwise, your existence will only cause me trouble!" He truly intended to capture the Blade Lord! Lady Xuelong weighed the odds. Would the Blade Lord fall for it? Ninety percent likely! Su Yu was far too deceptive! In Lady Xuelong's view, the Blade Lord's deception was inevitable. The only question was whether he would step into Heimu's Domain of Myriad Laws. If he refused, the commotion would not be small. Would Heimu then force his hand against him? The outcome would probably be the same either way! Lady Xuelong had already anticipated the result in advance, and there was hardly anything to look forward to. Unless the Blade Lord underwent a sudden surge of intellect and saw through Heimu's plot at a glance, or the Blade Domain harbored deep, blood-soaked hatred against Mount Yongsheng and struck Heimu dead on sight, who could escape that line of reasoning? Lady Xuelong felt rather pessimistic, yet after thinking it through... perhaps she still had a chance at life! Otherwise, killing her and Jin Feng right now would have been more convenient for Heimu. Thoughts churned endlessly through Lady Xuelong's mind, only to settle into helpless defeat. She was a sixteen-Dao powerhouse, so how had she fallen for his trick so easily? The more she dwelled on it, the deeper her regret grew! *** Su Yu could not care less about what she thought. Lady Xuelong was hardly the first person he had deceived. He had conned countless people; who did she think she was? Between truth and falsehood, how many could avoid falling into his traps? A kind soul like himself naturally looked reliable and trustworthy, so how could anyone doubt him? After another half-day of travel, Blade Valley came into view. From afar, one could see the territory shaped like a long saber. This was the domain carved out by the Blade Lord. At this hour, the Blade Lord had likely returned not long ago. The blade qi was remarkably thick! From a distance, Su Yu saw that every expert in Blade Valley carried a saber, their slaughterous aura exceptionally potent. It seemed this Blade Lord was no pushover either. Practitioners of the blade were formidable fighters! Dealing with the Blade Lord required a slightly gentler touch. Su Yu analyzed the situation in his mind: the Blade Lord was different from Lady Xuelong, so his approach had to change accordingly. *** Ten minutes later. The Blade Lord arrived—and not alone. He was accompanied by three experts, all second-rank, eyeing Su Yu with deep wariness. Sporting a full beard, the Blade Lord looked somewhat unkempt and stern. Glaring coldly at Su Yu, he said in a chilling voice, "From Mount Yongsheng?" Su Yu smiled faintly as a multicolored Great Dao manifested. "Does this require further proof?" The Blade Lord raised an eyebrow and said nothing of it, remarking coldly, "Someone from Mount Yongsheng has actually ventured out. A rare guest indeed! Since an esteemed guest has arrived at my Blade Valley, why sneak about outside instead of entering directly?" "Caution is necessary to avoid leaking information." Su Yu smiled, his demeanor gentle. Even though the other party was not particularly friendly, he did not seem to mind in the slightest. One did not strike a smiling face! A normal person encountering an envoy from a forbidden land—even Su Yu himself—would not slaughter them without cause. One would seek to learn something first; that was standard behavior. Moreover, Su Yu's attitude was excellent. The Blade Lord's demeanor softened, losing some of its earlier chill. "What brings Fellow Daoist here?" "It concerns Mount Liufang!" Imprisoned by Su Yu, Lady Xuelong lamented inwardly. *It's over.* The Blade Lord had neither moved to kill Heimu the moment they met nor questioned Heimu's identity. That meant he had already taken the bait! She could already guess the words that would follow. They would be no different from what Su Yu had used on her. *** Sure enough. A few minutes later, the Blade Lord exclaimed in surprise, "All six lords of Mount Liufang are dead? That Heimu has been pulling the strings all along? He belongs to Dead Spirit Hell?" The Blade Lord was thoroughly astonished! Soon, he gave a cold laugh. "I suspected as much before! I kept saying it was impossible for Gui and the others never to show their faces once, yet Lady Xuelong wouldn't believe me. Now she should know I wasn't lying to her!" In her confinement, Lady Xuelong fell into complete despair. *Did I not believe you?* *I only suggested probing the matter. You idiot, do you really find so much satisfaction in mocking me at a time like this?* *Fine, I'll wait for you to join me!* *Once you become a prisoner, you'll see just how foolish your act of cleverness really was!* Meanwhile, Su Yu offered a flattering smile. "The Blade Lord's judgment was spot-on, and your insight is razor-sharp! Right now, this Heimu has summoned everyone to Mount Liufang precisely to wipe them all out in one fell swoop..." The Blade Lord scoffed dismissively. "Without the six lords, if Lady Xuelong and I join forces, with what could they possibly challenge us?" Su Yu shook his head. "One cannot look at it that way. An envoy arrived from Dead Spirit Hell, possessing formidable strength! In any event, they are a forbidden land—a powerful one at that. Blade Lord, we can look down on Heimu, but we cannot underestimate the Lord of Dead Spirits. If you look down even on Dead Spirit Hell..." He studied the Blade Lord, then fell silent before saying, "Then pretend I said nothing today. The Blade Lord is far too arrogant... I dare not, and would not, collaborate with you!" Goaded by his words, the Blade Lord's expression turned somewhat ugly. Yet on second thought, Dead Spirit Hell was indeed no weak faction; it was a forbidden land stronger than most! Feeling somewhat annoyed, he said in a low voice, "This lord merely holds Heimu in contempt. I never said Dead Spirit Hell was weak!" Su Yu chuckled. "Now that is more like it! That is the bearing a powerhouse ought to have. We may treat our opponents with hostility, but we must never underestimate them. If Dead Spirit Hell were so easy to provoke, the various forbidden lands would have dealt with it long ago. Would it have lasted until now?" The Blade Lord nodded. What this fellow from Mount Yongsheng said made sense. Furthermore, the man spoke with composure, carrying the measured poise befitting an envoy of a major faction. Without lingering on the topic, the Blade Lord asked, "So the envoy's intention is for Lady Xuelong and me to help Mount Yongsheng resolve this? If we offend Dead Spirit Hell, what benefit is in it for us?" Against Lady Xuelong, Su Yu had applied pressure. Against the Blade Lord, pressure might breed defiance, especially given Mount Yongsheng's current unfavorable situation. Su Yu smiled and said, "Next, the forbidden lands will negotiate and grant certain territories a number of quota slots... I know that with the Blade Lord's strength, you will not lack a slot. You will certainly be able to leave. But leaving alone versus taking your subordinates along are two entirely different matters! If we take Mount Liufang, then no matter how much of a decline Mount Yongsheng is in, granting the Blade Lord eight or ten slots will still be well within our power!" The Blade Lord's eyes flickered slightly. Su Yu added, "Besides, if Mount Liufang truly succeeds, when the forbidden lands allocate quotas, will there be any left for Blade Valley? Even if the Blade Lord possesses ties to the Blade Domain... how many slots could they possibly spare for you?" The Blade Lord fell into deep contemplation. After a long moment, he said, "Ten slots, and I will help you deal with that Heimu!" Su Yu beamed and nodded. "Agreed. For us, thwarting Dead Spirit Hell's scheme is what matters... As for those quotas, outsiders may not understand, but the Blade Lord should know a thing or two. To put it bluntly, the forbidden lands merely need a vanguard. A few more or fewer makes no difference!" The words were somewhat harsh, but they were the plain truth. Su Yu continued, "Then I must trouble the Blade Lord to accompany me to meet Lady Xuelong! That dragon comes from the Dragon Domain, and dragonkind is notoriously dull-witted. Reason does not always reach them; they are nowhere near as wise as the Blade Lord. We will need the Blade Lord to explain things to her!" The Blade Lord chuckled heartily; he loved hearing that! He quickly said, "Very well. Lady Xuelong is indeed somewhat foolish, though her strength is decent enough!" Within her confinement, Lady Xuelong sneered. *Who is truly the fool here? Do you have no self-awareness at all?* *You, Blade Lord, are even dumber than me!* *With just a few words and without even a single threat, you walked right into his trap, you idiot!* At this moment, Su Yu spoke again. "Time is of the essence. I have heard that blade practitioners travel via blade flight at extraordinary speeds! Naturally, my Domain of Myriad Laws is quite swift as well. Would the Blade Lord prefer to step inside my Domain of Myriad Laws so we may travel together, or would you mind the trouble of carrying me upon your blade?" Su Yu smiled. "The Domain of Myriad Laws is reasonably fast!" The Blade Lord scoffed. "The Domain of Myriad Laws is not weak, but how could it ever match the speed of a blade flyer? The envoy had better come onto my blade!" Su Yu had offered him only two choices, an either-or proposition. Either you come with me, or I come with you. He did not provide a third option of traveling separately. This was the art of conversation! Sometimes, offering fewer choices was better; too many led to hesitation. Now, having presented the Blade Lord with two options and seasoned them with flattery, the Blade Lord quickly fell into the trap, choosing to let Su Yu step onto his broad saber! A long saber manifested and expanded into a massive blade. Smiling, Su Yu stepped into the air and landed upon it. Glancing at the three second-rank experts under the Blade Lord's command, Su Yu smiled faintly. "Are these gentlemen coming along as well? Their strength is quite good, but... if they go, they must be careful. That Heimu and the envoy from Dead Spirit Hell are formidable opponents!" The Blade Lord considered it for a moment, then ordered, "Forget it. You three return first. Later, you can head over with the people from the other territories! By then... we will likely have already conquered Mount Liufang, which will be the perfect time to take over the territory!" The Blade Lord looked toward Su Yu, chuckling. "Mount Yongsheng wouldn't care about Mount Liufang's petty spoils, would it?" Su Yu shook his head. "It matters not to us, though you may need to divide them with Lady Xuelong. Consider it your compensation!" "Splendid!" The Blade Lord laughed, anticipating a handsome harvest. Meanwhile, Lady Xuelong and Jin Feng simply closed their eyes to nurse their injuries. *Forget it. Pretend we heard nothing. In the span of a few sentences, this idiot not only let Heimu step onto his blade, but even dismissed the three experts under his command. Otherwise, Heimu would have had to expend some effort to subdue the Blade Lord!* *Now... there is no suspense whatsoever!* *** A few minutes later, the massive saber streaked through the sky. The Blade Lord beamed with satisfaction. He was in high spirits! Along the way, the forbidden land envoy constantly displayed looks of admiration, seemingly astonished by his speed of blade flight! The Domain of Myriad Laws had quite a reputation, but now it seemed this envoy's speed was probably nothing special. Su Yu sighed with apparent emotion. "The Blade Lord's Dao of the Blade is truly immensely powerful, with blade qi soaring to the heavens. Once you leave and integrate the blade Daos of the myriad realms, I believe... the next master of a forbidden land may very well be born!" The Blade Lord felt slightly embarrassed by the lavish praise. Clearing his throat, he said, "That is an exaggeration. Still, after leaving and slaying a few blade Dao experts from the myriad realms, reaching twenty-seven or twenty-eight Daos should be well within reach, even if thirty Daos is a stretch..." Su Yu nodded with a smile, then looked down at the Blade Lord's saber and asked, "Blade Lord, as a blade practitioner, if you were unable to control this weapon, would your strength decline?" The Blade Lord chuckled. "To a blade practitioner, the blade is an arm, a life itself! How could anyone take control of it? As long as the blade lives, I live; if the blade perishes, I perish!" What a joke! Who could possibly control his blade? If someone truly possessed that ability, having a blade or not would make no difference, because such an expert would certainly be capable of killing him outright! He felt the envoy had asked an idiotic question. Su Yu nodded in understanding, crouched down, and stroked the massive blade with an appreciative sigh. "A fine blade. Excellent. I feel this blade is considerably stronger than one I saw years ago!" *Of course!* The Blade Lord scoffed inwardly. This blade had accompanied him throughout his cultivation all the way to sixteen Daos; how could it not be formidable? It bolstered his overall combat power by at least thirty percent! Without it, his strength would suffer a steep decline. Just as the Blade Lord was thinking this, his heart suddenly jolted with rising anger. "Envoy, do not rashly..." He wanted to say that one should not rashly tamper with a blade practitioner's weapon. That was basic etiquette; did this fellow not understand even that? This envoy was far too green! Yet before he could finish his sentence, his expression shifted drastically. The long saber suddenly slipped out of his control! At that very moment, Su Yu's laughter rang in his ears. "Without your blade, your strength drops quite a bit, doesn't it? Thank you very much! To think there's someone so foolish—I'm already playing with your blade, and you're still putting on airs!" The Blade Lord's expression twisted violently, and he roared as blade qi surged skyward! However, his blade was out of his control, and he was standing far too close to Su Yu. In an instant, the Domain of Myriad Laws—which was in truth the power of a world—erupted, suppressing the Blade Lord. Already stripped of his weapon and significantly weakened, he was battered by Su Yu's overwhelming suppression, causing his aura to plummet precipitously. *Buzz!* Su Yu thrust a blade of his own through the void. With a wet squelch, it pierced through the man's chest. Transforming his hands into blades, the Blade Lord slashed viciously toward Su Yu, cleaving through the empty air, only for Su Yu's shield to block the strike in an instant. Su Yu's physical body vibrated, and his body-casting art manifested into a golden physique! This, too, was a Dao! A remarkably potent Dao, for Su Yu's mastery of the body-casting art was of the highest caliber. With the Blade Lord's power degraded, his hand-blade strike failed to inflict the slightest injury on Su Yu. Instead, the recoil from the physical shield split the Blade Lord's palm wide open. Closing into melee range, Su Yu unleashed a flurry of methods. Fists and kicks flew in unison, confining his opponent within a tiny space. Compressing his world power, Su Yu shattered the Blade Lord's spine with a single punch in less than a minute. As the blade qi scattered, Su Yu manifested seal after seal, his Dao of Restriction continuously locking down his foe. Soon, a miniature figure was snatched into Su Yu's grasp. Opening his palm, three tiny silhouettes were displayed upon it. The Blade Lord glared with hatred and fury, bellowing, "You bastard! Has Mount Yongsheng rebelled as well?" Beside him, Lady Xuelong suddenly felt far superior to the Blade Lord. What a moron! Without waiting for Su Yu to speak, Lady Xuelong snapped irritably, "What are you shouting for? He is Heimu! What Mount Yongsheng?" The Blade Lord froze, glancing at Lady Xuelong. "You... were captured?" Lady Xuelong was speechless; there was nothing left to say. The Blade Lord looked back at Su Yu with disbelief. "How is that possible? You're Heimu?" Su Yu chuckled. "Why? Is that not allowed?" "You... how could you be this strong?" He was utterly shocked. Su Yu said nothing more, sealing the struggling long saber nearby and pulling it into his palm as well. Within that modest palm, as though clutching heaven and earth, he suppressed two first-rank experts and one peak second-rank expert. Neither of them had even self-detonated! Su Yu had anticipated that these figures would not rashly detonate themselves unless death was truly upon them; otherwise, fighting them would not have been so straightforward. Dealing with these two had actually been simpler than dealing with the two first-rank experts from the myriad races. At this point, a smile finally appeared on Su Yu's face. With these two subdued, he held absolute sway over the entire northeastern sector. Mount Liufang was now completely his territory. Of course, whether to subjugate these two or handle them differently was something Su Yu had yet to decide. He was confident they could not discern the true nature of his world power. Even so, he had revealed a fair amount—such as multiple Great Daos, the Domain of Myriad Laws, and combat strength approaching twenty Daos... Furthermore, suppressing two first-rank experts and commanding them were two very different matters. Su Yu did not possess crushing, overwhelming dominance over them! On top of that, these two were backed by the Blade Domain and the Dragon Domain. Capturing them actually created complications. Killing them was certainly an option. All three were suppressed under his palm; even if they self-detonated now, they would at most wound Su Yu, given that much of their Dao power was thoroughly locked down. Su Yu fell into deep thought. Seeing his silence, Lady Xuelong could not hold back. "Heimu, what on earth do you want?" After a brief pause, Su Yu offered a faint, eerie smile. "What do I want? I want to be the boss! I want to decide my own fate instead of letting the forbidden lands dictate it. The forbidden lands were created by living beings too, weren't they?" What did that mean? Lady Xuelong grasped a fraction of his intent, yet found it incredible. "Are you mad? Do you actually want to challenge the forbidden lands?" "Not quite!" Su Yu smiled. "I simply want more power and a greater voice. When the forbidden lands do things, I prefer them to negotiate with me rather than issue orders! But I need strength, and I need a powerful faction! The forbidden lands do not care about a single sixteen-Dao cultivator. But what about three? Five? Ten?" This time, both Lady Xuelong and the Blade Lord understood what he meant. The Blade Lord could not help but sneer. "Do you intend to conquer all of Jinduan Gorge, subjugate us, and then negotiate with the forbidden lands?" "Do you have the strength for that?" He gave a cold laugh. "Yes, you schemed against us and suppressed us. But your strength... at best, you possess the power of twenty Daos! To a forbidden land, a powerhouse of your caliber is decent, but they are not lacking in such experts—and they have more than one! Setting the others aside, take Dead Spirit Hell alone: which of the Great Emperors of the Four Directions doesn't command strength above twenty-five Daos?" "You don't even match the Great Emperors of the Four Directions, yet you wish to challenge the forbidden lands?" Su Yu said calmly, "It is difficult, but not hopeless! Since you saw me employ the Domain of Myriad Laws and countless Daos... do you understand nothing? I... have the potential to open the heavens!" All three shuddered! Su Yu said placidly, "Among the masters of the forbidden lands, there are heaven-openers as well—the Lord of Dead Spirits is one! Of course, I cannot speak for the rest; some might be, some might not! But if I can open the heavens, then you should know just how terrifying a heaven-opener is!" Lady Xuelong's eyes flickered. "You, open the heavens? Impossible! We know the deeds of the heaven-openers. Back then, the Lord of Dead Spirits opened a world in the myriad realms and was peerlessly powerful. But aside from him... those masters of the forbidden lands are all unimaginably formidable, yet even the master of Mount Yongsheng, who commands myriad laws, is not known to have opened the heavens!" Su Yu chuckled. "Everything is hard to say! If I can open the heavens successfully and you all integrate your Daos into my world, I might become a supreme powerhouse before long! What would be so difficult about establishing a new forbidden land? As it stands, both of you are minor figures in your forbidden lands. Perhaps not the bottom rung, but certainly nowhere near the upper echelons. I imagine there are quite a few sixteen-Dao cultivators in the forbidden lands!" "How do you compare to the Great Emperors of the Four Directions? They are the true upper echelon!" "Yet if I open the heavens and forge a new forbidden land... you might have the chance to take a step further!" Lady Xuelong, the Blade Lord, and Jin Feng exchanged glances. The Blade Lord sneered. "Open the heavens? You don't honestly think that mastering a few dozen Daos makes you capable of opening the heavens, do you? Plenty of people master multiple Daos! The master of my Blade Domain once contemplated opening the heavens—just like the Lord of Dead Spirits, opening a world through the Dao of the Blade! The result? He still failed!" Open the heavens? What a joke! If Su Yu could open the heavens, he would indeed represent immense potential in their eyes! He might truly have a shot at contending for the position of a forbidden land master! Yet... was that possible? Utterly impossible! Commanding myriad laws meant one could open the heavens? If so, Mount Yongsheng would not be completely devoid of heaven-openers. In truth, Su Yu was pondering the same question. Practitioners of multiple Daos certainly existed, and even the Domain of Myriad Laws had been created. That proved they knew how to weave Daos together, so why couldn't they open the heavens? Was it because their era had been sealed? Naturally, that had nothing to do with Su Yu. The Lord of Dead Spirits had been able to open Dead Spirit Hell here, so Su Yu believed he could do the same! While no one was paying attention and his strength was not yet overwhelming, opening the heavens would create little commotion, allowing him to give it a try. Otherwise, if someone as mighty as King Wen tried to open a world, the entire realm behind the gate would probably sense it! If he wanted to open the heavens, now was the best time! Opening the heavens would not immediately cause his power to skyrocket, but if these fellows were willing to integrate their Daos into his world, a significant boost in strength was entirely possible. Yet this required willingness; forcing them through death would leave the Daos incomplete! Su Yu smiled. "Blade Lord, Lady Xuelong, if I can open the heavens, would you be interested in taking the gamble?" Lady Xuelong said in a heavy voice, "Heimu, you make it sound far too simple! You cannot possibly succeed!" Su Yu laughed. "What if I do?" "There is no 'what if'!" Lady Xuelong replied coldly, "You are not the only one who has thought of opening the heavens. In truth, after the Lord of Dead Spirits entered back then, everyone pondered it! Even several masters of forbidden lands considered it. But later, I vaguely heard some experts mention... that opening the heavens inside the Heavenly Gate is as difficult as ascending to the heavens! Unless one exits the Heavenly Gate... it seems this place lacks certain origin essences and yang energy!" Lady Xuelong had indeed heard people mention this in passing. She continued solemnly, "That is why everyone desires to exit the Heavenly Gate, including the masters of the forbidden lands! Yet no one has found a way. Even those who established connections with experts cultivating the Heavenly Gate outside could not leave... If one could truly exit, there might be hope of opening the heavens!" Su Yu chuckled. "That is not necessarily true. Opening the heavens depends on talent, wisdom, and opportunity. Moreover, the masters of the forbidden lands are simply too powerful. Excessive strength actually makes opening a world harder. Even if they took the risk and succeeded, their increase in power would be limited, so while some might possess the ability, they dare not take the gamble!" "As for me... my strength is merely at this level. I am willing to wager everything on a single attempt!" A madman! Both Lady Xuelong and the Blade Lord were at a loss for words. Did this lunatic truly entertain such notions? He had lost his mind! The Blade Lord snapped, "If you could truly open the heavens, we would be eager to integrate into your world! Serving as subordinates to a heaven-opener holds far more promise than following a forbidden land! From what I understand, when the Lord of Time opened the heavens back then, countless figures attached themselves to him, and today, nearly all of them have become masters of forbidden lands! In fact, the current masters of the forbidden lands were all among the first batch of followers under the Lord of Time!" Among heaven-openers, the Lord of Time was the most renowned. In the myriad realms, people knew little of him due to the separation of eras. But behind the Heavenly Gate, many were individuals who had cultivated Daos after the Lord of Time opened the heavens. Consequently, those within the Heavenly Gate understood far more about the Lord of Time. He continued, "Take Dead Spirit Hell, for instance: which of the Great Emperors of the Four Directions isn't a powerhouse? I hear Emperor Mingtu, the Great Emperor of the East, has reached the power of thirty Daos. Even on his own, he could establish a small forbidden land!" "Yet Emperor Mingtu chose to attach himself to the Lord of Dead Spirits. Why? Isn't it precisely because the Lord of Dead Spirits is a heaven-opener?" *Is that so?* It seemed heaven-openers were even more sought after here than in the myriad realms! That made sense, as many people here had lived through that era! They had experienced it firsthand. The thrill of cultivating a Dao immediately after a world was opened, the rapid advancements, leaping past countless peers in the blink of an eye to become overlords of the heavens! In the myriad realms, very few had experienced such a thing, and few truly appreciated it. The heaven-opener before Su Yu had been the Human Sovereign, but the Human Sovereign's world was half-baked. Everyone saw it as mediocre, so who would think heaven-openers were extraordinary? That was why, when Su Yu first spoke of opening the heavens back in the myriad realms, people were amazed, but they never took it to heart. Yet here, the Blade Lord and Lady Xuelong—both first-rank experts—wore expressions of utter disbelief. They did not take him seriously at all! Su Yu's eyes flickered. "And what if I succeed?" The Blade Lord said coldly, "If you truly succeed, we will naturally follow you. Who would complain about having more potential?" "We have cultivated to this point and reached our limits. If we can follow a heaven-opener... that would be far better than our current state. Even if our strength declines temporarily, we could catch up and surpass our present levels soon enough. Heimu, do you take us for fools?" The Blade Lord was a first-rank expert, after all; he understood this reasoning. Moreover, having reached his current level, he had practically exhausted his potential. Countless years had passed since he stepped into sixteen Daos, yet he had remained at sixteen Daos without the slightest progress. At this moment, Lady Xuelong smiled as well, her eyes glinting. "Heimu, why don't you give it a try? If you succeed, the Blade Lord and I will naturally follow your lead and serve you!" A sudden thought struck her! Go on, egg Heimu into doing it! He would surely die! Lady Xuelong smiled. "Heimu, go try it! I believe your Domain of Myriad Laws is exceptionally strong; perhaps you truly stand a chance! Once you succeed, far more than just us will flock to you. So long as you don't draw too much attention and seek out other experts, everyone will be willing to integrate their Daos... provided they are older and have exhausted their potential... When that time comes, it may truly be your chance to rise! A forbidden land will be born right then and there, and you will be its new master!" The Blade Lord caught on as well! Right, why dispute it? Let him do it! This fellow would surely perish, and wouldn't they have a chance to escape then? Su Yu remarked softly, "You are trying to egg me into opening the heavens so that I fall and you can escape, aren't you?" With her thoughts exposed, Lady Xuelong did not care. She smiled and said, "Heimu, how do you know you won't succeed if you don't try? Besides... you want to stand on equal footing with the forbidden lands... do you really expect to rely on us? Even if the Blade Lord and I truly submitted to you... the moment a forbidden land arrives, to be frank, we would defect. That is the reality. The entire realm behind the gate is like this, isn't it?" Su Yu had subdued quite a few experts, but the moment a top-tier powerhouse from a forbidden land arrived capable of suppressing him... apologies, but every single one of them would surrender immediately! That was just how realistic they were! Therefore, Su Yu either had to be capable of contending with the forbidden lands directly, or he had to open a world of his own, binding everyone's interests together. Only then would there be hope of resisting the forbidden lands! At this moment, Su Yu sank into deep contemplation. Opening the heavens behind the gate was indeed his goal. Yet... could he succeed? He was still lacking certain things! Outside the gate, Su Yu had used the Human Lord Seal as the foundation and the civilization chronicle as the framework. Here, would he open the heavens from nothing? What had the Lord of Dead Spirits used to open his world? Perhaps a supreme expert of that caliber never lacked treasures. Su Yu, however, did. He possessed no such treasures here! Though he was far stronger now—back then he was merely at the Sun Moon Realm, whereas now he wielded first-rank power—the difficulty of opening the heavens had not decreased; it had only increased. Thoughts flashed in rapid succession as Su Yu's eyes flickered. A projection of the Heavenly Gate? No! Using the physical body as the foundation? The 720 acupoints? *I am the spirit of the world. What if, in this place, I open the heavens using myself as the vessel?* *If I become the world, I can carry this world with me and leave the Heavenly Gate at any time. I can also merge it swiftly into my world in the myriad realms.* *The 720 acupoints as the foundation?* *The Heavenly Gate projection as the foundation?* *Then... open a heaven of 720 Daos?* *One acupoint, one Dao?* One concept after another ignited in his mind. Su Yu abruptly looked down at the figures in his palm and muttered, "Opening the heavens isn't impossible. Is it really that difficult?" "Madman!" Lady Xuelong and the others wore identical expressions of shock. This madman actually seemed to have taken the bait—was he really that easily persuaded? He wasn't truly going to open the heavens, was he? That was certain death! Before he died, wouldn't he drag them down as burial sacrifices? Lady Xuelong and the Blade Lord felt their scalps tingle. If this lunatic died trying to open the heavens, he would almost certainly take them down with him! What a senseless way to die! Lady Xuelong instantly regretted her words, whispering hurriedly, "Heimu, forget it. I see that your preparations are insufficient. Why don't the Blade Lord and I slay a few enemies for you instead? What do you say? If you release us, we won't reveal anything about your situation..." "No, open the heavens!" Su Yu stared at them, suddenly gritting his teeth. "Yes, open the heavens! Only by opening the heavens can I truly put you lot to use. Otherwise, it is far too troublesome—I would have to guard against you betraying me at every turn!" "..." Lady Xuelong and the Blade Lord were on the verge of tears! *Don't!* *We were wrong! We shouldn't have egged you on! Now we're truly finished!* *This lunatic—from the look in his eyes, he has genuinely made up his mind!* Indeed, Su Yu had reached a decision. This had been his goal all along: to open the heavens behind this gate. He had merely intended to wait a little longer before, but now... why wait? He would open it right now!